Fragments
by Hahligirl56
Summary: Ryou Misaki, player of Haseo, is haunted by fragments of memories from a past he has left behind. A mysterious girl comes into play and gives the link between Ryou/Haseo and a past he has left behind...
1. Prolouge

A/N: Meh...I hope this is good. At least, to some extent. I have been planning this for years...okay, no, really for months...okay, okay...weeks. I've been planning this for weeks, but I've only started writing on Thursday. Talk about commitment...but I've only really been INTO .hack since December or so. I'll probably fail at grasping the characters, but, hey, different writers have different styles, right? All I need is some information and practice... Anyways, here's the prolouge...please enjoy!

-----

(7 yrs. ago)

Darkness...he could not see or hear anything beyond the cold reign of darkness in which he was trapped in. He was barely aware of his own existence, with only scraps of memory and sight he was allowed to have and see. But even in this emptiness, he could still think, to some extent.

_Where...am I?_

_Am I...alive?_

_WHO...am I?_

Those and many more thoughts and questions echoed throughout the darkness, unanswered. What could he remember? A woman's voice...very angry. At him? What did he do? He couldn't remember, and the more he tried to remember, the more distant the memory became.

Soon, he didn't know how long, the darkness began to fade away, and he soon heard a voice that he wasn't sure he remembered or not from before. "Sora...?" The voice was soft and quiet, almost angelic...but who--? "Sora...? It's time to wake up, Sora." Sora...was that him?

Soon, another voice, even quieter, also began calling out to him. "Ryou? Ryou, are you awake?" As the darkness continued to fade, he could feel himself slipping away from the place he was trapped in. He felt that so much had happened to him in just a short amount of time, but he couldn't recall anything now.

"It's time to wake up and live again..." the quiet angelic voice from before told him before his mind gently slipped out from out of The World.

-----

He could feel his eyes open, slowly. Above him were fluorescent lights, dully shining down on him. He tried to move his head around, but felt it was very heavy, as if water had been soaked into it. A human silhouette dimmed the lights, and as his eyes became more focused, he could see that it was a young woman.

The nurse smiled down at him. "Well, Ryou? How are you feeling?" Ryou suddenly realized that the second voice that called out to him was this lady. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words came croaked from long disuse. The nurse nodded, understanding. "I had one of the nurses get a cup of water for you. Then we'll talk." Lying down, Ryou could only nod slowly.

When the plastic cup had been delivered to him, he tried speaking once more. " 'Ryou'...?"

The nurse nodded. "Yes. Ryou Misaki."

"What's that?" The young boy asked.

The nurse's eyes widened in surprise, "Why, that's your name, sweetie."

"My name?"

"Yes...don't you remember?"

Ryou slowly began looking around the hospital room he was in. "What happened?"

The nurse gulped slowly, never leaving her gaze on Ryou's face. "You had an accident, I think, when they brought you here. At least, that's what the report said...I haven't even begun working here until just last month--" She stopped in mid-sentence. "You do know where you are, right?"

"Of course."

"Where are we then?"

"The hospital, obviously," Ryou answered.

"Do you remember what happened before the accident?"

"Oh..." Ryou closed his eyes, concentrating on his memory. "Not really," he finally answered after a few minutes. "All I remember is playing on the computer when my parents were out, then having a massive headache all of a sudden...then nothing. And then I woke up here, and here we are."

The nurse gulped and inhaled deeply. "Ryou, do you remember what you were playing?"

Ryou's look of concentration returned. "Ummm...I think it was some fighting game. I don't remember. Why?"

The nurse bit her lip nervously, then forced a smile on her face when she saw Ryou glancing at her nervously. "Oh, nothing, I was just a bit curious. I'm a bit of a gamer myself."

"Where are my parents?" Ryou suddenly asked.

The nurse's eyes suddenly became distant for a split second, trying to remember. "I believe, last time I heard, they were in the waiting room." She smiled again and continued speaking. "You know, Ryou, when we saw that you were showing signs of regaining consciousness, the doctors and nurses were ecstatic and called your parents right away. Now that you're awake, they can come by and see you soon. Your mother was especially worried..." Ryou slowly nodded. He felt his eyelids become heavy and slowly covering his eyes once more. Before he was able to drift to sleep minutes later, however, he could hear the nurse talking to someone. "...and so while I was talking to him, he didn't even seem to recall very well of who he was and what happened. Do you suppose it could be amnesia...?"

"Amnesia? From a game?" The doctor whom she was speaking with sounded shocked, if anything. "This is one of many cases..."

"Should we tell his parents?"

"Yes, they should know. But make sure no one tells Ryou. It would probably be best if he should never learn what happened to him all those months here, and let him return to a normal childhood..." The words made Ryou even sleepier, and soon fell fast asleep, a peaceful sleep for the first time in months. The doctor and young nurse left, never realizing that Ryou had eavesdropped on their conversation about him.

One last thought crosses his mind right before the deep, peaceful sleep: _Will I ever remember...what happened to me then?_


	2. Chapter 1: Angel

Chapter 1 

(7 yrs. later)

Ryou Misaki, age 17, stepped off the city bus in front of his school. He usually preferred walking to the private school he attended, but, every once in a while, he would treat himself to a bus ride.

He was trying to focus himself on today, what with there being a test in his English class today, but thoughts over recent events over the last several months had his mind withdrawn to The World R:2. He was amazed at the many events that had brought him, Haseo, to meet so many people, and to discover that he was chosen as the Epitaph User of Skeith, becoming a PKK to find Tri-Edge for revenge for placing Shino in a coma...but that was all over now. Shino was all right now, the Azure Knights no longer a threat to them...and he had some good friends online now, right? Even if he did still seem aloof to the others at times, he did find that maybe having good companions with him...wasn't so bad after all. Still, lately, he had been more in thought than he had been at times in The World. His mind still questioning himself with questions he didn't even understand...

"HEYA, MISAKI!!!" Ryou felt a smack across the back and turned to see 18-year old Orino Yamamoto grinning insanely over him. Ryou groaned. Orino and Ryou were merely acquaintances, ever since the day Orino 'accidentally' bumped Ryou back down on the floor, littering his books beside. Both had different opinions on this: Orino thought it was funny, while Ryou, of course, wanted to beat the living daylights out of Orino for that. Ever since then, whenever they somehow were able to cross paths, Ryou, in a sense, was able to provide himself as Orino's personal punching bag. Despite this, it was impossible to look at Orino as a bully, simply because he never meant any harm to him and would always make sure the young sophomore was all right afterwards. Ryou's personal opinion of him was that he was a jackass; an annoying doofus who was the best of his team in tennis class, and therefore, respected by others. Because of this, and the fact that Orino sometimes provided himself as a tutor to Ryou, he found him at least tolerable, but didn't necessarily know him well enough to call him a 'friend.'

"Uh...hey, Orino," Ryou managed to spit out.

"Guess what?!" Orino's eyes shone with excitement.

"Uh...what?"

"Don't give me that dull look of yours, Misaki! You know perfectly well what's going on!"

"No, I don't," Ryou answered, bluntly.

"You don't?!"

"No."

Orino sighed. "Ryou-_kuuuuun_!!" he cried out in exasperation.

"Just get to the point, Orino. What's up?"

"There's an exchange student here, Ryou-kun! And she's in _your_ grade!" Ryou turned and started walking away. Orino quickly followed him in anguish. "L-L-Look, man, look!" Orino began pleading. "You just gotta tell me her name, that's it!"

"Why?"

"Oh, come ON! It's not everyday an exchange student comes here! Besides, everyone's talking about her! Really, Ryou-k--"

"Where is she from?"

"Oh...uh, America, I think, if I heard it right."

"America, huh?" Ryou continued walking. Orino soon stopped followed.

"W-Well, if you see her, tell her that Yamamoto Orino-sama sends his greetings!" he called out to him. Receiving no answer, Orino shrugged and went to his next class.

"He really does have a thing for girls," Ryou muttered as he entered his English class. He sighed and sat at his desk, fingers drumming on the top. English was okay...he found many of the words easy to pronounce, and watching American-made movies made it easier for him to learn it. What he _hated_ were the tests. Not only were there a lot of them in his class, but he found it even more annoying that half of the material were over things they had not even covered yet. "So much for preparing," Ryou muttered. All he could do was his best, but the results, if low, would never satisfy him. He wanted to do excellent...he knew he had to. Failure was not a part of Ryou's nature.

As the students began filing inside the room after him, he noticed a girl he had never seen before standing next to the door, the teacher next to her. _I believe...that's the new student?_ Ryou wondered. The English teacher, Mr. Kazumi escorted the girl in front of the classroom. Mr. Kazumi then settled the chattering students down and then gestured to the new girl. "This is Miss Angel Walker. She is here as an exchange student from the United States of America, and will be with us the rest of the year." Angel had the bluest eyes Ryou had ever seen, and short light blonde hair. The first image that crossed Ryou's mind upon examining Angel was a delicate china doll.

The girl smiled and bowed politely. "Hello, my name is Angel Walker, and I'll be here for the rest of the semester," she said in pure, fluent Japanese. Most of the students looked at Angel in awe. "I'm looking forward to spending school here in Japan, and I hope we'll take the time to get to know each other well." When Ryou's eyes looked up from his desk to look at the girl again, her gaze was locked into his. It was almost as if she were speaking directly to him and only to him...shaking his head, he quickly looked away again and feel himself turning red with embarrassment. When he looked back at Angel again, she was quietly finishing her introduction and was soon escorted to her new seat, exactly two rows beside Ryou's left.

-----

The English test passed by quickly, and so did the other periods up until lunchtime. When Ryou had been younger, his mother used to pack lunch for him. Now, however, he managed to pack a bento box for himself, not that he had any choice now... While the other students rushed to be first in the lunch line, Ryou went to his favorite table and began eating quietly. The minutes had passed by, and most if not all the students were settled at different tables, chattering eagerly amongst one another. Ryou, however, still sat alone and eating. He didn't mind much; in fact, he was used to it. Suddenly, he heard a small cough, and when he looked up, saw the quiet new girl standing above him.

"Excuse me, but may I sit here?" She asked shyly, but didn't smile. "All the other tables are taken and there's still room here." Ryou looked around. Angel was right; there was nowhere else to sit in the cafeteria.

Ryou sighed. "You can sit here, if you want," Ryou replied, knowing that she had no choice, however. Now Angel was smiling. She quietly set her things besides her as she sat in front of Ryou, carefully splitting her chopsticks.

"Thank you very much, Ryou Misaki-san," she thanked him politely. She must had seen a small look of surprise on his face and explained that, "I asked the teachers in my classmates' names while I'm here. It would be embarrassing to speak with them and not know who they are." A small silence passed and as Ryou began finishing his lunch, she surprised him again. "Ryou, do you play The World?" Ryou's eyes widened slightly, the only sign of surprise he could show. "To be even more specific, so you play the second version of The World?" Ryou slowly nodded. Angel allowed herself a small smile. "You do? What is your character's name?"

Ryou felt doubt filling his heart. He allows this new, quiet girl to sit with him at lunch, and already she's asking questions of his personal life. Despite his doubts, his voice came through. "Haseo," Ryou sputtered. "I play as Haseo. He's an Adept Rouge." Ryou instantly felt his body flood with embarrassment again, but the girl only smiled.

"I see...Haseo." She finished her meal quickly and then gathered both her trash and Ryou's and dumped them in the nearest trash can, then sat back down. "You see, I've bought The World quite a while ago, but I haven't installed it yet, being so busy and all, and the move. I've only read the manual and basic information about the game itself. I wanted to see if I could find someone to play with and have some in-game advice."

"But...how did you know that I even play The World?" Ryou asked, incredulous.

Angel's face paled. "Oh, well, I...um...that is, I...erm..." She turned back to Ryou's gaze. "Ryou, can I come over to your house after school today?"

"Huh, what?"

"I have to tell you something...but I can't tell you here. It has to be somewhere private, and I think it should be at your house."

"But...what do you have to tell me?"

"You'll know...a little bit at a time, you'll know. Would you rather escort me to your home, or do you want to set a certain time?"

"...If I just take you home, it'll be quicker than just waiting for you," Ryou replied, hardly believing he was inviting a strange, new girl over so soon.

"All right. I'll meet you at the school entrance once the last bell rings." As soon as she had finished speaking, the next bell rang, signaling students to prepare to go to their next class. "Until then, good-bye, Ryou-san. It was nice to meet you." She quickly gathered her things, bowed once more to Ryou to thank him, and hurried off to her next class. As he was walking down the halls, Ryou couldn't help thinking...what did she know that she wanted to tell him?

A/N: Just what DOES Miss Angel want to tell Ryou? Does she know something he doesn't? And just who is she, really? Don't worry, if you're getting the wrong idea that Ryou and my own character are going to get involved romantically, you're wrong. She will take a special interest in someone else. Cookies to anyone who cares and guesses who. Anyway, this is the beginning of the long, yucky explaination chapters I have to work out, because, like I said before, I'm afraid that I will not be 100 accurate on the characters, though I'm hoping I'll be close enough...and I'm just hoping that I'll be able to make this work out okay. I've got up to chapter 3 written down (by paper and pencil), but I'm just waiting to get it over with so I can move on to more interesting chapters... sigh

And the story takes after GU...I'm hoping at least THAT'S good enough.


	3. Chapter 2: Decisions and Facts

A/N: Ha haa...I updated this rather soon, didn't I? Sorry, I'm already stuck on chapter four (in my journal). Seriously, this was one of the more...yuckier chapters. I had to look up a bunch of stuff, which I hope is accurate enough, but I think in the end, the chapter ended up okay. Oh, yes, I tend to want about alternate universes and such...it's just how I'm going to make Haseo react when he goes inside the original game of The World...how the characters will react to him, and him to them. Well, I could always ask people and brainstorm, but I'm not quite there yet...I'll tell a bit more on Chapter 3. Also, Ryou's background...some of that I picked up from .hack//wiki. It said that Ryou lived alone, and no mention of his mother...so, I used that absence to add a bit of emotion for the older Ryou. Well, hope you enjoy and respond well. If you have any questions too, I don't mind at all answering them. :)

Chapter 2

The final bell at last rang, and Ryou quickly remembered about meeting Angel at the entrance of the school. While he was at his locker, putting away his unneeded textbooks, however...

"RYOU!!!"

With a yelp of surprise, Ryou turned to see Orino smiling triumphantly in front of his. Ryou groaned, sickened. "Geez, Orino..."

"You talk to the new girl yet, like I told you to?"

"As a matter of fact, I was just going to meet with her now..."

"So, what's her name?" Orino asked eagerly.

"Angel Walker."

"Really? Angel Walker..." Orino echoed the name aloud dreamily. "I wish I had a chance to meet her."

"She's at the entrance doors waiting for me."

"Oh, I know that, but I have a tennis tournament today..." Orino quickly looked at his wrist watch and his eyes widened. "...which means I gotta go RIGHT NOW!" He began running off, shouting, "Don't forget to tell her I said hi, okay?!"

Ryou sighed as he grabbed he finished unpacking unneeded things and walked towards the front of the entrance of the school, where Angel was waiting patiently in one corner, seemingly to be deep in thought. As soon as she saw him, however, all traces of thoughtfulness escaped her features and she resumed her seriousness once again. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's go." As they began walking out of the building, Ryou quickly added, "By the way, Orino Yamamoto gives you his greetings and hopes you enjoy school here." Ryou immediantly wished that, wherever he was, Orino would sneeze, so that Ryou could get back at him...ah, sweet revenge...

"Oh, a friend of yours?"

"Well...not exactly. I haven't really run into him quite as frequently until recently."

"Hm. Well, I think it's nice of him to come by your way often."

"Nice of him?" Ryou asked, as they hit the corner of the school, connecting to a neighborhood of apartment and houses; a small suburb within the city.

"I saw you at lunch. No one seems to sit near you. Why?" Ryou shrugged. It felt to him as if Angel was continuously interrogating him of his own personal life again. "Does Orino-san have lunch with you?" Angel continued to question.

"Well, no, he mostly goes off to a local restaurant with other students in his grade, then comes back around when the next period is about to begin."

"Oh, you can do that?"

"As long as you can make it back before you're tardy."

"He could take you then, couldn't he? That way you could go with one another."

Ryou shrugged. "It's...it's not that simple...I mean, Orino wouldn't...well, I couldn't..." He sighed. "I just can't. Let's leave it at that..."

Angel looked at him thoughtfully. "Well...maybe, sometime soon, you can ask Orino-san to take you to lunch...it's only a suggestion, though. I would never force you out if you didn't want..." Angel looked back in front of her. "...You seemed lonely, though...even if you didn't show it, I could tell. You're so lonely, you're used to it."

"So, what do you want to tell me?" Ryou asked quickly, hoping to change the subject. He was not used to others telling him to step out of his own comfort zone by mere repetitive conversation.

"I'll show you when we reach your home," Angel answered simply. Ryou glanced back at her. Show _me...? Show me what...?_ he wondered.

The rest of the walk was quiet, and it seemed like hours to Ryou when it had only been minutes before they reached his home. He reached under the doormat and took out the house keys and unlocked the door to the house. As Angel entered, she looked around, studying the rooms. It seemed rather dark, which did not surprise her, and it was mostly clean, with several papers lying here and there. Besides the people who had just entered, the house seemed void of any other life.

"You live here alone?"

"I guess you could say that," Ryou replied simply as he tossed his backpack on the couch. "My dad lives on the other side of town, so that he can take better care of the company."

"He owns a company?"

"Yeah, and runs it himself, too. That's why he's so busy all the time and has to live nearby it. But he pays for my education, so you can see why I'm in that private school. 'The best of the best is for us, the Misaki,' he says. He pays the bills, too. But I got a job last year at the local grocery store, so I'm able to buy my own food with that money, sometimes. If I really want or need something, I'm always able to phone him about it. That's how I was able to get The World R:2."

"What about your mother?"

"My...mother?" Ryou's voiced cracked.

"Yes."

"...She's...she's..."

"Divorced? Away?" Angel began suggesting words. "At wo--"

"Dead," Ryou managed to whisper. "She's dead."

"Oh..." Angel whispered. "I'm sorry..." She felt sympathy and remorse for Ryou at once.

Ryou shrugged, trying to wipe away hidden pain with simple gestures. "I'm getting by. What do you want to show me?"

Angel nodded and reached into her knapsack, pulling out a CD case and turned on Ryou's computer. Ryou took a quick glance at the CD and saw that it was labled **PROTOTYPE**.While it was booting up, Angel turned to Ryou. "Ryou...you have heard about the original version of The World, right?"

"Yes. I also heard that most of the data for The World was destroyed, so they quickly created and presented a substitute, called The World R:2, and it quickly became popular, am I right?"

"Right."

"So...what does that have to do with anything?"

Angel sighed. "Well...seven years ago, there was a growing number of incidents through playing in the original game, resulting in many coma cases..."

"Coma cases..." Ryou echoed softly.

"Yes, all through the technique known as Data Drain performed by the 8 Phases...the one of the Phases is the Avatar I know you control and are familiar with."

"Skeith..."

"That's right. However, you can control Skeith, mainly because Skeith's data, when found along with the other phases, was put into special PCs, allowing certain people...people like you...to be able to control them and use their power. During those incidents, it was quite the opposite, as the Phases were controlled by some dark force within the game..."

"So...what does this have to do with me?" Ryou asked, his voice growing quieter.

"Quite a bit, actually," Angel answered. "Aren't you surprised that you would be chosen out of who knows how many people to control Skeith? Do you think that some how you are connected? I have a gut feeling that you are...and I'll show you, a little bit at a time, on why we think Skeith chose you. The answers we may find by this may be either closer or farther from the truth...but, the people who are deeply involved with running The World and solving its bizarre mysteries will be dying to know and continue researching until they can find even more answers, wouldn't you think so?"

"Why do I need to know all this?"

"You don't, not really. However, wouldn't you feel better if you recovered all of those lost memories, the ones you lost when you lay inside the hospital, seven years ago?" Ryou's eyes widened in shock. "Yes, Ryou...you were one of the coma victims. You were especially affected when you woke up and had little recollection on what had happened."

"Angel...how do you know all of this? Just what _are_ you anyway?!"

Angel smiled. "My specific origins, I can scarcely remember myself. We moved around a lot, even when I was younger. My father is the head and works on a side branch of the CC Corp, which few people outside the company even know about. He has trained me in this department ever since I was very young, although this is my very first real assignment...my _test_. My chance to actually be able to work with my father and help with our goal of the CC Corp branch. Our goal is clear: To help individuals that have been affected by The World. That is why I am here."

"You're here to help me?"

Angel nodded. "To help recover the lost memories. There is a specific individual in The World that you may or may not remember, but I want you, as Haseo, to befriend him and learn about him for a while. You see, he is the missing link to your past...these meetings I want you to share with him will be the first of three stages, which may or may not happen at the same time, and I will show you all three before my test, hopefully, is finished successfully."

"Who is he?"

"That, I won't tell you. I want you to be surprised," Angel said, smiling. "When you do approach him and other characters, you should know that these are AIs we have made through fragments of character data we were able to find and save. We were able to make it so that interaction and conversation would be realistic, as it makes them appear they have their old feelings and personalities. This way, you will learn about the people interacted with you before the incident."

"How is this person the missing link to myself?"

"I just told you that you were a coma victim, and that you did play The World when you were younger. The AI you will meet is your past character."

"Do I even want to know about all this?"

Angel only continued smiling gently, like a mother to a young child. "Well, I think that, deep down, you may _want_ to know the answers." Angel took the CD containing the prototype data for The World, and installed it. "Also, to make sure this experiment goes smoothly, we will temporarily freeze your account on The World R:2, so any business you want to tell your friends, you will have to do that tonight."

Ryou's eyes widened. "You mean...I can't play it anymore?"

"Not until this is over. You can still email them, though, for updates. I will copy Haseo's data into the prototype, so that you will be able to move around in the original World and so that nothing becomes suspicious for others. Well, I never said they couldn't 'think', now did I? They can attack you, if you're not careful, you know. But if we work this out carefully, Haseo will be just appear to be a normal Twin Blade to them," Angel finished. "Anymore questions?"

Anymore questions...? Ryou had many questions, hundreds of questions, combined well with his doubts, and they all sped past his mind at one time. Would he recognize anyone at all? How exactly would this help him? Was it really worth it? Couldn't he just back out of it? But Ryou knew, deep down, that he would really never be satisfied if he denied this chance...the chance to actually see the events that changed his life forever...the answers mysteries that remained unbound that he so wished to hold again and be satisfied...yes, he couldn't back out. Haseo wouldn't back out; he would accept this challenge.

"No...no more questions. I'm prepared to see this past World and what really happened to me," Ryou announced.

Angel nodded. "Of course, it will have to be tomorrow after school. That way there will be more time to prepare."

"Yes, and more time to tell the others I won't be on."

"Right," Angel nodded. "I'll leave the CD in the hard drive for you to use tomorrow, Ryou-san. As I've said before, please finish any business you need to take care of any business before tomorrow. I'm not sure myself how this will work out, but I think that the more you take your time and your progress improves at a steady rate, the closer you'll be to be able to finish this project successfully."

Ryou glanced at her questioningly. "Angel...are you some kind of hacker?"

Angel chuckled, amused. "Well...I don't think I'm that good, yet. I've had the basic computer training from my father; you know, designing, coding, all that good stuff. I'm not sure whether or not I could consider myself a hacker. I'm a decent enough computer programmer, I guess. I'm still very young and I still have a long ways to go, so...in time we'll see." Angel stood up. "Well, I'll let you take control of your computer now, Ryou-san. It's getting late; it always amazed me how quickly time flies when you're having fun...or at least an interesting conversation, like this one." She headed towards the door muttering, "I need to get home before it gets too dark...Mom will freak..." As she opened the front door, she looked once more at Ryou. "Remember this, Ryou-san: Life is a like a jigsaw puzzle. Some people are able to successfully fill in all the pieces correctly and quickly, some others it takes more time but they are able to manage, and some people have a terrible time finding all the pieces. In this puzzle, I am only the provider and giver; it is up to you to fill in all the spots you miss." With that said, Angel left.

Ryou studied her words for a while, then quickly went to work by informing members of his party that he would be absent...and he would only tell the ones he truly trusted what was really going on. _I just hope they realize that I'm actually going to visit my past for a while_, Ryou thought, _and fill in all the pieces, a little bit at a time_.


	4. Chapter 3: Greeting Strangers

Chapter 3

Ryou woke up to the sound of the alarm clock going off.He sleepily turned to turn off the alarm and takelook at the time,then rose up and sat still at the edge of the bed, his mind still blurry from sleep. Slowly, things came to him again. That girl, Angel…and, something about The World? He glanced over at his computer. Just how was all this supposed to work, anyway? From the way Angel described this 'project', this 'experiment,' it sounded like a time machine or something. Anyway, why was any of this of any importance to him? Things were back to normal, and everyone was happy! But still…

Ryou looked deeper into the darkness of the empty screen_. Maybe I _do_ want to know what happened…I don't know why, but I just do…puzzles have to be solved eventually, or left unfinished, right? And I guess I'll never be truly satisfied until I can free these thoughts from my mind. _Now trying to focus on something else, Ryou stood up and began getting ready for another day of school. Later that evening, he would have to report to his part-time job at the grocery store; money didn't grow on trees, right?

-----

Ryou, much to his amazement, managed to stay focused in his classes until lunch. As soon as he sat down at his table, an older boy quietly snuck up behind him and pounced on his prey, headlocking him in a light, friendly position. Ryou, able to breath, knew instantly who 'attacked' him. "Orino?!"

"Hello, Misaki!" Orino greeted Ryou. He let go of his grip and plotted himself next to Ryou at the table.

"What are you doing here?" Ryou asked, still refusing to admit that he had been quite shaken by Orino's assault.

"I wanted to meet the pretty new girl," Orino replied simply, as he scanned the lunchline for anyone that matched the description of the girl he had heard about from his peers. "You _did_ tell her about me, right?"

"Yeah."

"So what did she say?"

Ryou shrugged. "Well, she said that it was nice of you that you're coming my way often and that I should go with you to town for lunch more often." When he caught a glare from Orino to himself, he could feel himself flushing. "Well, that's what she said!" he snapped.

"I'll consider that, I guess," Orino replied, grinning. "So, where is Miss Angel? Is she here yet?"

"She was late to lunch yesterday. She might be late again." Ryou looked around once more and saw Angel coming from the cafeteria entrance. "There she is."

Orino turned to where Ryou was looking at and, smiling ear to ear,started waving over at her. "HEY! OVER HERE!" Several students looked over at Ryou and Orino and stared at them; Ryou could feel himself turning as red as an apple again, and saw himself wanting to punch Orino just to shut him up.

Angel came to themand sat across from Ryou once again. "Hello," she greeted both boys politely.

"Hell-_oh_," Orino purred. Ryou quickly nudged him, giving him the don't-get-any-ideas look.

"You must be Orino-san," Angel said warmly. "Ryou-san told me about you."

"Well, uh," Ryou could hear Orino's attempt to be suave, "It's nice for the kid to have a little company now and then, you know? Without me, he'd be _cold_…_lonely_…_depressed_…in an ice cube of misery and dirty red socks."

Angel stifled a giggle, and when Ryou glanced at her, she felt herself turning a little pink. "I'm sorry…I thought it was funny."

"You hear that, Ryou-boy?" Orino asked, putting his hands behind his head and feet on the table in a relaxed position. "The young lady things I'm funny." He winked at her, making Angel giggle even more.

Ryou's eyes began darting back and forth between Angel and Orino, curiously. _Weird…they just met for two seconds,and already they like each other. _

As the minutes dragged on, Orino and Angel were soon caught up in one conversation after another, with Ryou sitting silently out of them. He never thought that quiet Angel could be so talkative, and he had no idea that Orino knew, or even cared, of things such as opera, poetry, barbershop quartets, the list went on…and if that wasn't all, Ryou wasn't sure what would make the young man shut up! As if anything _could_...

As he sat quietly, he couldn't help but feel a little fear of when he would go home. He had no idea what to expect, and Angel herself said that she would not stick around him 24/7 to see to his safety and 'educational' trips. He would be alone most of the time…and with a stranger…a stranger that he only knew as himself.

Angel seemed to notice the thoughtfulness in Ryou's eyes, as she asked, "Ryou? Is something the matter?"

Ryou nodded, his eyes placed on the table. "Could I ask you something…privately? About you-know-what?"

Angel nodded. "Of course." She stood up from her chair. "Could you excuse us, Orino-san? We want to discuss quietly on a project of ours."

Orino made suspicious glances back and forth between her and Ryou. "Are you two…_dating_?" he asked darkly.

Angel laughed. "No, of course not! We just met yesterday, after all. The project I'm talking about is a computer project."

Orino's frown turned into an ecstatic grin. "Well, then, hey, sure I don't mind!" He shooed at Ryou. "Go on! Move!"

Ryou quickly stood up and began heading towards the cafeteria bathrooms, with Angel following him at first, when she shyly turned back once more to Orino. "By the way, you can call me Tenshi-chan, if you want to."

"Tensh-MAN! You ARE smart!" Orino exclaimed, noting that Angel wanted him to call her by the Japanese variant of her name.

"Well…I don't think I'm _that _smart," Angel replied playfully. "Anyone could have figured it out…" With that, she turned back to follow Ryou. "So, what do you want to talk with me about?"

"It'll be today, won't it? As soon as I get home?"

"Yes, the sooner we begin, the better. Just don't forget anything I told you."

"Was the original World different from the one I'm used to?" Ryou asked, biting his lip.

"In several ways, yes," Angel answered. "Ryou…are you scared?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ryou muttered, still biting his lip.

"You seem nervous, and I can understand why. If I placed myself in your shoes, you'd have no idea who'd you meet, no idea what to do or say. It's like being a stranger on another planet, and you have nowhere to go. But you don't have to be afraid, you know. It's like when you're playing with your friends in The World; just take your time, relax, and have fun. Nothing is going to happen." Ryou began laughing quietly. Angel cocked her head, confused. "Are you…okay?"

"Well, it's just that…I can't help shake the feeling that something _is _going to happen. I don't think it'll be inside the game itself, but…" Ryou felt sweat trickle down his cheek. "I guess I am a little scared…it's really stupid, actually…"

"It's _not_ stupid; anyone placed in a situation in which you don't know the exact conditions would feel nervous. Don't worry; I'll meet up with you in the game at the Delta Server. And we'll try helping one another as gamers for a while,and I'll be there to help you on your feet, okay?" Ryou nodded. "Good. Now, when you begin, Haseo's character data will be saved in The World, so you can just go on ahead without having to create just another character. You got that?"

"Yeah, I remember. And my account in The World R:2?"

Angel opened her mouth to speak when the bell suddenly rang. Shaking her head, she responded, "You'll see for yourself. My character's name is Tenshi, a Blademaster. Meet me there in Mac Anu."

"Did you eat lunch?" Ryou asked suddenly, remembering that he didn't see Angel eat once when she was with Orino and himself.

"I had a quick snack before I came to the cafeteria, and I wasn't very hungry anyways." She began heading out, calling to Ryou one last time, "I'll see you in The World, Haseo! Later!" With that, she ran out of the doors to her next class, following the other students. Ryou knew that he too had to go on, and wait, until he could begin his next journey…

-----

School ended quickly for Ryou, and he found himself stilldreading to go home, still afraid of what might happen where he to face his past. Even so, Ryou was alsocurious: Who would he see? What was he like then? Here was a chance to be freed from his doubts that he had bore all those years and find out what happened that caused pain to him for all those months, and even afterwards into years! Isn't that what he secretly wanted deep down?

Once he reached his locker, Ryou quickly unpacked and headed off with his completed homework, a notepad, and his backpack. Orino would not be there to greet him that day; he had an away game that afternoon and wouldn't return until that evening. The walk home was a quiet one, with the birds chirping here and there. For his part, Ryou remained silent, debating and asking himself the same questions over and over again until it was becoming too trivial for him to even think.

As soon as he reached home, he turned on his computer and waited for it to boot. He knew that the disk labeled 'PROTOTYPE' would be inside and installed; one less thing to worry about. _I can't help but thinking…why is it called 'PROTOTYPE'? Is this branch Angel told me about up to something?_

The computer was loaded now, and Ryou could see a new icon on the screen; a picture similar to but not like the icon for The World R:2. Ryou quickly clicked on the second version of the World with hope; maybe he still had some time left before Angel would have to freeze his account? Quickly, he typed in his user information:

Player ID: Haseo

Password: ------

Ryou clicked on 'ok' on the screen, his heart fluttering. A window appeared on the screen. ERROR: Username invalid. Ryou sighed, and he felt his heart sink. "Well, she did it, just like she said she would," Ryou muttered. _Enough of this…I need to stop procrastinating just because of some fear. _He next checked his email, and was pleased when he saw he received a response from Atoli; she appeared to understand, and that she hoped that he would enjoy time working on 'his project' and that it came out successful. She told him that she would email other members of his party, and that he didn't have to worry about anything. Ryou sighed again, in relief this time. Well, at least _that _was something he was able to cover.

Ryou slowly, almost reluctantly, clicked on the new icon on the screen. As soon as he saw the sign-in window, he immediately typed in his player information once again. This time his sign-in was successful, and as he saw a larger screen loading up, he took that as a signal to place the virtual headset on. Within moments, he was ready. As he began the dive into this new (yet old) world, Ryou finally smiled. "Let's do it."

-----

Haseo plunged deeper…and deeper…as he expected, it was so much like The World that he was used to, but this somehow seemed…older. More outdated, in a way, but it didn't seem to him that it had completely lost its value yet. Haseo stood now in the Delta server of Mac Anu. He immediately saw that he wasn't alone; many players, real or not, stood by chattering with one another. It was a lively place, similar to the Mac Anu he had come to known. The only difference was that this Mac Anu was smaller, and seemed more old fashioned…more peaceful, even. _If all this isn't the real game, it's probably the best imitation I'll ever get from this_, Haseo thought. _Now, where's Tenshi…?_

Haseo stood still by one of the bridges, gazing down at the clean, blue canals. _If I wander around, I betI'llget lost_, Haseo reasoned. _I'll just wait a bit here, and hopefully, she'll find me._

Seconds past…then minutes. Haseo couldn't help but become impatient; he had a job that he needed to go to today, and tardiness was absolutely NO excuse to Mr. Sakamoto, his employer. No excuse at all…

"Haseo?" Haseo felt his heartleap in surprise as he turned around to face a young woman, seeming to be in her late teens. She had light gold hair and deep blue eyes. Her armor was a mix between light violets and yellows, with a pink shawl hanging over the player's right arm, with two golden bracelets hung up in each arm. Haseo could also see a long, sleeksword hanging behind her for her weapon.

"…Tenshi?"

The young woman smiled. "That's correct, Haseo," she said happily.

"So, let's get to the point, because I don't have a lot of time right now," Haseo quickly began.

"Oh? You're going somewhere?"

"Yeah, work. I start at 6:30 PM, and it's 5:30 PM right now; I'll only have about thirty minutes to stay on, and you know how time can fly by real quickly."

Tenshi nodded. "Of course. I wouldn't want for you to get into trouble just because of a game."

"Well, from the way you talk, you seem to take this more seriously than most people I've met," Haseo said.

Tenshi giggled, embarrassed. "I do seem a bit too serious sometimes, don't I?"

"I understand that this could be a breakthrough for your father's team and myself, but--" Haseo stopped when Tenshi held up her hand.

"Right, Haseo, let's get moving. We should be heading out now."

"To meet…him?"

"That's right."

"I suppose so…" Haseo said, trying not to show any sign of nervousness. "Are we meeting him here or at another server?"

"I arranged it so that we could all meet at Dun Loireag."

"Dun Loireag?"

"The root town for the Theta server here," Tenshi explained. "You know."

Haseo chuckled. "I _would_," he replied sarcastically. "I don't remember this World, remember?" Tenshi nodded."Okay, let's go then." With that, he and Tenshi warped out, both now connecting to the Theta sever. As he warped in, he was able to take in the extraordinary sight the game now took him to.

"It almost looks like a sky city, doesn't it?" Tenshi asked moments after she warped in herself.

"Yeah, it seems peaceful here, too," Haseo agreed. "So…just how long are we supposed to wait?"

"I'd say a few minutes, at least," Tenshi replied thoughtfully.

"I'm not so sure about this anymore…"

"Don't worry, you don't have to stay on for long. Just long enough for introductions."

Haseo fell silent as he gazed out across the landscape. He could spot several players here and there chatting amongst one another, just like in Mac Anu, although here there seemed to be fewer players. _They did a pretty good job, developing all this again_, Haseo complemented Tenshi's father's team silently. _I wonder if all they plan to do something more with this than just letting several people at a time play for recovering pieces of the past? That'd be a sad waste of good progress._

Minutes passed by, and Haseo quickly took note of the time; he couldn't stay on much longer. Not unless he wanted a scolding from his boss…

His thoughts were soon put to rest when he heard Tenshi give a surprised little gasp. He quickly turned to the side to see two impressive looking blades placed on each side of Tenshi's neck, a tall figure behind her. "Ta-da!" a voice rang out cheerfully.

Haseo immediately drew out his own blades, ready to attack, only to be stopped by a wary look from Tenshi herself. The surprised look from her melted into a happy, cheerful one.

"I see you got my message," she told the stranger. "I'm glad you actually managed to show up."

The stranger, a green-haired Twin Blade, as Haseo could see now, chuckled. "You're lucky I was around when you called me and that you did it right after my…errands…were finished," the stranger answered back in an even cheerier voice, tainted with hints of mischief."Did you call me for a match? Or are we going to a dungeon?" he asked eagerly.

Tenshi shook her head. "No, not this time." She then pointed at Haseo. "I wanted you to meet him, actually."

The Twin Blade peeked up from behind Tenshi's shoulder, and glanced over at Haseo. "Him?"

"Right. Haseo, you can put your blades away."

Haseo did put his blades away, but he still looked at the strange Twin Blade with suspicion and doubt. The Twin Blade himself drew his blades down from Tenshi's neck and put them away as well. Tenshi now stood between both players, gesturing back from Haseo to the Twin Blade. "Haseo, this is Sora, the player I told you about." Haseo stood unblinking at Sora, now studying him thoroughly for the first time. If what Angel said was true…wasn't this his player character at one point or another, in the past? It certainly didn't seem like it; this player seemed to have a personality similar to Orino's...at least that's what Haseo was reminded of. And Haseo...well, he certainly never acted like this at all when he was playing with others on the second version of The World. _This is DEFINITELY getting topsy-turvy_, Haseo thought. _Too weird_...

"And Sora, this is Haseo," Tenshi finished.

Sora was staring evenly at Haseo, with some mild interest in his eyes. "You're the player she wants me to meet?" He grinned in a way which Haseo thought was only the smile of an idiot. And Haseo _hated_ idiots... "Well, at least your character doesn't look lame."

"...'Lame'?"

Tenshi giggled, and both characters glared at her, confused. "Sorry…I just can't wait to see how you two will be spending time together."

"Maybe we can cut each other up a bit?" Sora suggested innocently, holding out a blade.

"No!" Haseo responded back forcefully. _What in the world is he thinking?!_

"Why not?" Sora pouted.

"…Some other time, maybe," Haseo replied in a quieter tone. "I have to get ready for work now."

"You _work_?!" Sora asked in surprise.

"Duh."

"How old are you?"

"17."

"I should have thought so. You're old, then."

"You tend to think that at one point in your lifeor another," Haseo muttered, rolling his eyes. "I'm just as young as the next person, you know!" _I_ _shouldn't respond so childishly_, Haseo thought. _That's just so stupid_.

"You're really leaving so soon?" Tenshi asked, and was answered by a nod from Haseo. "In that case, I'll give you my Member's Address."

"And I suppose I'll have to give mine to Sora?" Haseo sighed.

"That would be nice," Tenshi answered. In other words, yes.

Haseo sighed as he sent his Member's Address to Sora, and received Tenshi's. "Well, I gotta go now." He looked back at Sora, who was grinning at him. _I wonder what he's thinking_…Haseo wondered. _He doesn't look like he'd do anything good, really, whether he's me or not. _"Well, Sora, I guess we'll see each other again soon." He turned to Tenshi. "Don't worry, I'll email him. Not that I have any choice…" With that, Haseo logged out.

-----

Ryou took off his headset once he began shutting down his computer. _Well, Angel, I hope you're happy_, he thought glumly. _Because now I have to spend all of my free time with an idiot. Seriously; cutting people up for enjoyment? From what I can tell, Sora loves fighting to a fault…_

Ryou stood up and prepared to get ready for work. _But…maybe I'm wrong. They say first impressions are important, but maybe I've got the wrong idea about him…myself. I justdon't remember ever being that violent, though._ Was _I? I only got to meet him for about three minutes after all. I could be getting to the wrong conclusion…_ Ryou smiled._ Well, I do have to agree with Sora; Haseo doesn't look lame. Wait, what am I THINKING now?!_

-----

Once he was ready, he headed out to the grocery store where he was employed. His job for today was to work at the cashier; good, none of that cleaning up or stocking junk. Mr. Sakamoto would always reprimand Ryou for not greeting costumers with greetings and sometimes not using honorifics. Still, compared to when he was first employed, he was beginning to mellow out, and wasstarting to be friendlier with customers…to some extent, anyway. Besides, he hated getting chewed at in public by people with higher authority. Especially by Mr. Sakamoto.

By now, three customers had come and gone, and no reprimands yet. Good. Ryou sighed; business was rather slow today, and he couldn't help but being bored. His boredom melted away when he saw a young woman come by him; he soon began scanning the groceries, the numbers of each item adding up. He was continuing to scan when he noticed the woman staring at him. "Yes…ma'am?" Ryou quickly added the 'ma'am' part, as he remembered that Mr. Sakamoto would be watching him closely…

"Your eyes…they seem familiar, somehow," the young woman said thoughtfully.

"Familiar?" Ryou asked, confused.

"Yes…I can't put my tongue on it, though. Have we met somewhere before?"

"I, uh, don't remember, ma'am," Ryou stammered. "At least, I don't think we have…"

"Oh…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother you with trivial questions."

"It's all right." Once he finished scanning the last item, the total added up, and the young woman swiftly took out the necessary amount of money she owed. "Thank you, ma'am."

"You're welcome, Ryou," the young woman said, smiling.

"Huh?" The young woman pointed at his nametag. "Oh, right." Ryou helped bag the items and gave them to the young woman. "There you go, ma'am. Have a nice day."

"Thank you, Ryou-kun," The young woman said gratefully. She held out her hand. "My name is An Shoji, by the way."

Ryou took the hand and shook it. "Ryou Misaki."

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Ryou-kun. Sorry, I just thought that I might have seen you before."

"Well, maybe we've passed by each other sometimes on the street or something," Ryou suggested. An nodded, took her bags, and left. Ryou kept his eyes on her until she left the store and was out of sight. _She…she _does _seem familiar somehow. I don't know why I have this feeling_, Ryou thought. _But something inside me…wishes to see her again someday. I don't even know why_.

Shoving the events of the day to the back of his mind, he continued his work. This was reality, after all, and he needed to function here as well, if he ever wished to truly live…that's how this world was. Once you were born in a world, you were forced to spend to live in that world for your entire life, until death...right?

-----

A/N: Well, there's another chapter that I'm putting up out of fear (Curse my lack of confidence...) Anyway, if I failed at grasping any of the characters...my apologies; more characters will appear as the chapters progress, and I plan on using character development...and some angst. :P Probably the longest chapter yet, and I hope it was at _least_ okay. I'm so happy by the good feedback and advice this fanfic has so far; in fact, I'm shocked! 8O

I hope that as I get better, I'll get even more great comments and good criticism, I hope I hope. The introductionbetween Sora and Haseo was rather short, wasn't it? Well, I hope as I'm able to grasp more, I'll be writing them together more; as well as other SIGN characters. I just had no real idea how to get the two to meet with one another properly, and this was the only thing stuck in my mind.The real life sequence with Ryou and An will probably have more significance later on; it's all part of Angel's plan, and my plot. :)

Also, can you tell the chemistry for Angel and Orino...? They'd be very happy together one day. I wanted Orino to bea kind ofclass clown, and Angel seems to appear like a formal doll princess or such,'cause she's introverted and was brought up well. You know how it is sometimes; opposites attract, and it just so happens they have the sameinterests, just different personalities.XP

I've got several ideas I want to use, so I hope I'll be able to continue, and that the chapters don't get bad; I hope, with some luck, they'll get better. Thank you guys again for the support! Any friendly criticism/advice is appreciated!


	5. Chapter 4: An offer

Chapter 4

Ryou sat on the edge of his bed, staring down at the floor sleepily. It was close to 10:30 at night now, and he was now fixing to sleep after returning home about two hours ago, and he hadn't logged into The World for this very reason. As Ryou's head hit the pillow and wrapped the blanket around his body, his thoughts went back to Sora. Angel wanted Haseo to bond with Sora, right? So that in this way, Ryou would re-discover what he had lost, right?

_Right_… Ryou thought, as a deep sleep gently washed over him, and a dream appeared…

* * *

_A young Ryou from the third grade was walking quickly home from school, carrying in one hand a small, pink flower in one hand. He was smiling happily, wondering what his mother would say when he brought the flower home to her. She would say something nice, for sure, and that night, she could even read some of her favorite stories or poems to him. With that in mind as motivation, he quickened his pace--_

"_Well, well, well…if it isn't the shrimp from school!"_

_Ryou gasped as he stopped short. In front of him were three older, bigger boys from the 5__th__ grade. The way they looked at him, as if a tiger were trapping its prey, did not give Ryou any sort of comfort._

"_Um…I need to go home," he told the boys quietly, hoping that the boys would let him pass by…before they got any ideas of chasing him._

_The boy who spoke first, who appeared to be the ringleader of the group, only snickered, giving Ryou a grin that made him shiver. "Why do you need to go home, and so soon?"_

_Ryou chanced a glance at the flower, then quickly hid it behind his back._

"_Well, um…my mom's expecting me."_

"_What's that you got behind your back?"_

"_Nothing!" Ryou answered, trying his best not to give attention to his mother's present, or showing the boys he was terrified. "It's nothing at all!"_

_Two other boys quickly moved behind Ryou before he could react, and one of them pried the flower out from Ryou's clenched fist._

"_Oh, look, it's a flower," the second boy held the flower up, and snickered as well. "Looks like the baby was going to bring this home to his mother."_

_Ryou would have tried to grab the flower back, had his arms not been secured by the two older boys. The flower was handed over to the ringleader, who was still smiling that sick, triumphant smile. _

"_Do you know what we do to flowers that are supposed to be given to their mommies by little snots like you?" he asked Ryou in a sickly sweet tone, and Ryou could feel his heart racing. "We CURSH THEM!!"_

_As the ringleader began to slowly pick the petals off the flower, one by one, Ryou began screaming. "NO!! Stop, please!! Don't do this!!" One by one, the petals fell on the sidewalk. "THAT FLOWER IS FOR MY M--" _

_One of the boys who restrained him clamped Ryou's mouth with his hand. "Shut it, brat. We're just giving you just what you need, for being such a mama's boy."_

"_It's everyone for himself, in this world," the other boy next to him hissed. "Like us; we don't need our mommies telling us what to do every single second, and we sure don't need to give 'em any gifts to show any appreciation to them. We live in a cruel, cruel world."_

_The ringleader snickered again, as he finished destroying the flower. "That's right; who says that you're the only one who doesn't get to suffer?" The flower now lay on the ground, and the joy that Ryou had before died as he stared at the broken flower._

"_One day, shrimp, you'll thank us for it," The first boy that restrained him continued to his behind his ear, as Ryou had often imagined an evil spirit would do. "You don't need others looking out after you. You're all alone in this cold world. No one will look out after you when you're older, now will they?"_

_As the boys walked away, howling in laughter and glancing back and forth at Ryou, he bent down to look at his once-beautiful flower. "But…my mom…my parents…they love me, don't they?" he asked the broken flower in a shuddering whisper. The flower only responded by twirling a bit on the sidewalk when a small wind brushed past it. The petals floated away, off in the big world, leaving only the stem behind. Ryou quietly picked up the stem and walked home, slowly and sadly this time._

_When Ryou opened the door to his home, his smiling mother began to greet him, only to see that something was wrong. "Ryou? Is something wrong?" She asked patiently and kindly, as she walked up to the little boy from the couch. In response, the little boy held out a stem. "What is it?" she asked him, confused. _

"_It was a flower…" Ryou began with difficulty, as he felt his throat suddenly clogging up. "I picked it up myself…so I could give it to you…but…some boys came and…and…" as he tried to speak more, he saw that he couldn't, and tears began streaming down his eyes. _

_Understandingly, the young mother embraced her child. "Shh…shh…it's okay," she soothed him with her tender voice, like any good mother would do. "I understand what you tried to do, and I really appreciate it." She gently took the stem from his hand. "A stem is still a part of a flower, isn't it?" She asked him, smiling._

"_Well, yeah…" Ryou admitted. _

"_Then I'll treasure this stem for the rest of my life," the young mother said, holding the stem close to her chest. "Do you want some soup that I made, Ryou?"_

"_Yes, please," Ryou answered, smiling a little bit now. He liked thinking that his mother was the best cook in the world, because she was to him, and he always was grateful to have such an understanding mother. "Where's Daddy?"_

_His mother sighed as she began preparing the soup. "He'll be working late again. You know it can be over there at your father's work sometimes; busy, busy, busy."_

"_Ah." Ryou moved to the table to eat. He sat quietly for a few minutes, thinking deeply. "Mom…those boys said they wrecked my flower because they had to."_

_The mother glanced at her son, as she began pouring water in. "Oh? Why did they do it, then?"_

"_They said it's because they had to take care of themselves, and it wasn't fair if I could just go home all happy with a flower to give to you. They didn't HURT me really, but…they hurt me. I don't understand, though."_

_Ryou's mother sighed. "Ah, well…I don't understand it quite myself either. Sometimes people act like that because something bad has happened to them, or they just want attention. It could be that they don't want to suffer alone…that by making other people suffer, they could all be equal. Something like that, anyways. I could be wrong, you know."_

_Ryou stifled a small giggle. "Well…I don't think I'm that far off from being like them."_

"_Hm? What are you talking about, Ryou?" his mother replied in surprise. "You're a sweet boy; you're friendly, outgoing, you're very smart--"_

"_I don't have any friends, though," Ryou added in quietly. An uncomfortable silence filled the area. "It's true, Mama," he continued. "The kids at school…they don't talk to me, none of them. Whenever they DO talk to me, they're just trying to use me to get all their work right, and I can see that."_

_The young mother sighed. It was so difficult…she could see how smart and wonderful her boy was, and it was hard for her to see him sad because he was lonely. "Don't worry, Ryou," she reassured him, the same as always. "One day, you'll find a group of people who are sincere to you, and you can call those people your friends." She smiled again. "Now, let's finish making the soup so we can dig in, okay?"_

_Ryou smiled. "Okay!"_

* * *

Ryou's eyes opened as soon as dawn reached his eyelids. He recalled the dream to be during elementary school. Ryou blinked his eyes, thoughtfully. He recognized that memory, he always had! But it had always been so faint…and that night it seemed so real, so vivid…as if he were experiencing it again, for the second time.

_Angel said that going through this project might affect me in different ways…I guess dreams would be one of them_, Ryou thought. _Still, why _that _particular memory? It's one I can still remember, faded to some extent or not; it was a long time ago. And nothing much about that dream explained what happened to me…to Sora… _Ryou sighed. _It's a process, Ryou; it's bound to take some time. Just do what Angel said…relax, and enjoy the ride._ _Yeah. Like_ that'll _ever happen._

* * *

Today, school seemed surprisingly…normal. And quiet. Orino had not appeared at all before Ryou today, and he had only passed by Angel in the hallways and saw her in some of his classes, and had not gotten to speak to her at all. When lunchtime came, no Angel appeared, leaving Ryou alone once more. _I bet Orino's probably treated her for lunch in town_, Ryou guessed, as he sat at his usual seat at his reserved table.

He sighed, an almost sad sigh. Still, part of him was happy with the isolation. Isolation gives you more time to ponder…to plan…to think out maps, routes, strategies, ideas, dreams, destinies even. Yes, this was perfect for him to plan his next move.

As Ryou quietly ate his lunch, he decided that as soon as soon as he came home, he would send Sora a Flash Mail, telling him that he would be waiting for him at **Δ **Bursting Passed Over Aquafield. _That should get us started well enough_, Ryou thought. _At least I _hope _it does. I have no idea what to expect from this…this 'prototype' of The World. It could have bugs in it, for all I know. It could be a trap, even_. Ryou forced himself to shake his head. _No, no, no; you're thinking too much, Ryou. Angel's not that kind of girl; she'd never do something like that. It really does seem like she wants to help…_ He sighed again as he finished his lunch. "We just have to keep waiting to see, don't we?" Ryou asked himself.

Ryou took his time walking home again, though he didn't feel he dreaded going home as much today as he did yesterday. In fact, now he felt more confident of what he wanted - and needed - to do. Besides, it wasn't like anything bad was going to happen to him, right? If any problems arose, he could simply logout and log in, just like always. _Things are going to work out just fine_, Ryou thought to himself. _You're getting what you've wanted for so long, and Angel will be completing her job successfully…just as long as things are going the way we hope to. _

As he reached his home, he put away his things just like always and turned on the computer. As he waited for it to load, Ryou could do nothing but stare at the screen as it changed; he knew if he thought too much, not only would he not get anywhere, but he would begin doubting again. Negative feelings and forces were not what he needed right now. The computer was fully loaded now, and Ryou clicked on The World's icon. The sign-in window appeared, and Ryou immediately types in Haseo's name and password in, and then did his part by placing the headset over his head and eyes. With that, Ryou's…no, Haseo's mind, dove into The World…

* * *

Haseo gated in Mac Anu…as always, it was busy, with players chatting busily here and there, as well as players buying items from the shops that they would need on adventures. This time, however, Haseo did not stop to wander around. He took this time to send a flash mail to Sora:

Subject: Meet up

--Sora, meet me in **Δ** Bursting Passed Over Aquafield. I'll be waiting there for you.

- Haseo

After sending the flash mail, Haseo nodded, then warped out to the chosen area.

* * *

As Haseo gated in he gazed over the grassy field. There were players here, but not very many, and most of them were newbies. He stood on the field, waiting. There wasn't very much to see, as it was a level 1 area, and nothing very dangerous ever occurred here. The landscape seemed rather plain, but peaceful. He figured it was at least a good place to quietly converse with someone, or Sora in this case, and maybe even destroy a few monsters here and there…

"Oh, it's nice to see you again!" Haseo almost jumped, then turned around to see the green-haired Twin Blade standing right behind him. _I didn't even hear him…_ Haseo thought with some shock. Sora was smiling. "I scared you, didn't I?" he exclaimed excitedly.

"No. Not at all," Haseo forced himself to stay calm.

"Admit it; I _did_ scare you, didn't I?" Sora was grinning triumphantly.

"Look, what do you want?"

"You're one to talk. Didn't you just send a message to me, saying that you wanted to meet up here?" Sora looked around, apparently bored. "And you had to pick _here _out of all places."

Haseo blinked. "What's wrong with this area?"

"Don't you see?! It's too boring! No action, no excitement, everything is just standing still all the time, and the monsters aren't that interesting either; not challenging at all! I bet it would take only one blow from me to destroy twenty of those monsters!"

"You're really picky when it comes to these kinds of things, aren't you?"

"Next time we're going somewhere, _I'm _choosing the area," Sora grumbled.

Haseo rolled his eyes. "Fine. _You _can pick the area next time. The reason I called you over here in the first place is so that we could find something to do together." He started to brush his hand through his hair thoughtfully. "So, uh…do you…want to go into a dungeon?" Haseo couldn't help but feel peculiar, asking Sora what they should do; his foot digging through the ground showed this to be true.

"No," Sora muttered.

"What _do _you want to do, then?" Haseo could feel himself burning with exasperation.

Sora held out a blade in front of him, and looked curiously at Haseo. "How about a duel?"

"A…a _what_?!"

"A duel," Sora replied simply. "You know: Whoever is stronger wins; the loser dies. That's how all duels work, right?"

Haseo began sucking in his breath. "Why do you want to do something like that?!"

"Tenshi brought you to me, so that we could meet each other," Sora explained.

"I know that!" Haseo snapped.

Sora's eyes narrowed. "You don't _look _lame, but maybe you aren't as strong as you appear. That wouldn't be good at all...I want to test you."

"You think you can test people to see whether or not they're worthy of becoming your friend or party member?" Haseo asked, incredulous.

"Did I say that?" Sora asked, appearing surprised.

"You sure made it sound like that," Haseo responded.

Sora shrugged. "I didn't say it was like that. I want to see who's stronger, right now, me or you?"

"You could have just said that instead. But why do you want to duel over something like that?"

Sora was quiet for a moment. Haseo still had not drawn out his blades. "Are you afraid of me?" he asked Haseo darkly.

"Of course I'm not afraid of you!" Haseo retorted.

"I think you are," Sora continued, trying to sound mysterious.

"I think I'm _not_." When Haseo could see that Sora was not going to change his mind, he turned around, back facing Sora. "I didn't come to battle you. I came over here to _talk _to you."

"Fine, then. Let's _talk_," Sora repeated in Haseo's exasperated tone.

Haseo began to turn around, only to see a shadow dart past…no, _through _him…and then when the shadow was past Haseo, it stopped its high-speed movement revealing to be Sora. Haseo gasped, and his knees buckled immediately, his body fading into a dull grey.

The green-haired Twin Blade stared at the body, until it finally disappeared, and even then continued to glance at the spot. _He didn't react until the last second…_ Sora thought. _That's so stupid! _Sora couldn't help shake a thought that was growing in him, though. _I don't want to admit this to him or anyone else, but…he does look very strong, even if he is a little cranky, like BT. Maybe we can be friends soon._

* * *

Haseo gated in Mac Anu again. The city was still quiet, despite the players interacting with one another, but compared to what noise was surrounding him, it was _nothing _compared to what was going on in Haseo's mind. _How dare he do that?! I called him over there so that we could interact with one another, just like Tenshi wanted us to, and he goes off and PKs! Why would he even do such a thing?!_

Along with other similar thoughts, Haseo stormed off, hoping that at least the scenery would calm him down a bit. He stopped short all of a sudden when someone bumped into him. A young male Wavemaster quickly brushed away and ran off, yelling, "Sorry!" to Haseo. He blinked; hadn't he seen someone like that before? His mind flashed back to the woman he met at work…An Shouji, wasn't it? He kind of looked like her… Something inside Haseo told him to follow. He quickly went after the Wavemaster, keeping sight of his grayish clothing. Haseo managed to avoid bumping into various players while keeping track of the Wavemaster in front of him, and soon found himself in an alley of Mac Anu.

"I'm here; what did you want to talk to me about?" He heard the Wavemaster's voice from another section of the alley. Haseo walked from here on, until he saw the young Wavemaster in a corner, talking to another player, a female Heavy Blade, who was sitting on a pile of crates which were placed against the wall. "I see. Okay then; I'll be over there waiting for you tomorrow."

"I'll be waiting," The female Heavy Blade replied with a smile. She looked behind the young Wavemaster. "Hm? Tsukasa…I didn't know you brought company!"

The Wavemaster quickly looked behind him to see Haseo standing behind him. "Oh! You're the one I…sorry I bumped into you earlier; I was in a hurry to meet my friend here."

"It's all right…Tsukasa," Haseo answered, echoing the name.

The Heavy Blade waved cheerfully at Haseo. "My name is Mimiru!" she chirped.

"Mimiru…" Haseo murmered, as he slipped into his thoughts.

"So what's your name?"

"…Hm? Oh, uh, I'm Haseo," he stammered.

"You've got a very interesting Twin Blade design; it looks very unique," Mimiru commented.

"Thanks."

"How long have you been playing The World?" she asked. Haseo's eyes widened; he hadn't thought about what to say if anyone asked him for how long he had played The World. If he said he had been playing for, say, a year, and they found out later this was false…well, he didn't want to know what would happen.

"I haven't been playing here lately, actually," Haseo answered, looking away from Mimiru and Tsukasa. "I'm not a newb, either, but…well…"

"Oh, that's okay," Mimiru replied. "You'll get the hang of things here again real soon. And if you need any help, there's always my friend Bear; he'd be more than happy to help you out if you're having problems.

"Thanks," Haseo answered, and boy, did he mean it. "Say um…do you know about a Twin Blade named Sora?"

At the mention of Sora's name, Mimiru's face made an expression that showed great disgust. "That creep?! Why would you want to know anything about him?"

"Because the reason why I'm playing The World right now is to interact with Sora, that's all," Haseo replied simply, somewhat pleased that so far he had managed to tell the truth, and nothing but the truth.

"Why would you have any business interacting with that creep?" Mimiru continued.

"…Well, I guess you could say that he and I are related in some way or another."

"Oh?" Tsukasa's quiet voice spoke up. "Are you Sora's cousin, or something?"

"Well, we're a little deeper than that…I don't know really. I guess that's why I'm here, to find out." He sighed, exasperated again, his voice growing louder as he continued. "But as soon as I called him over to **Δ **Bursting Passed Over Aquafield, we started talking, and…well, we didn't really get anywhere. Then he said something about wanting to test me to see if I was better than he was, but I didn't want to face him, and then he went right into PKing me!"

"Maybe he thought you would react quicker," Tsukasa suggested. "In any case, I don't think you should go judge him too quickly; I'm sure he has his reasons on why he acts the way he does." Tsukasa smiled. "But, you know, I think that's real nice of you to try to spend some time with Sora; I think he might need it."

"Yeah…maybe you're right," Haseo agreed. "Still, I can't believe he just PKed me like that!"

"I know!" Mimiru exclaimed.

"Mimiru…" Tsukasa sighed. "You aren't really helping.

"Sorry. I just can't stand Sora! He's so…well, obnoxious!" Mimiru's look of disgust remained on her features.

"You might want to get to know Sora, too," Tsukasa replied, grinning at her. He then turned back to Haseo. "Are you meeting anyone here, Haseo?"

"Well, no. I just logged back in after I got PKed…" Haseo looked up to the sky. "Anyways, I don't know whether a schoolmate of mine is logging on today, so I might have to leave soon."

"Who's your schoolmate?" Tsukasa asked.

"Tenshi. Do you know her?"

"Hmm…is she a Blademaster? With blonde hair and a pink shawl over an arm?"

"Yeah, that's her," Haseo answered, nodding.

"I talked to her once, though not recently."

"Oh."

"But we could wait for you here, if you want," Tsukasa suggested.

Haseo shrugged. "I…guess so."

"Well, what are we waiting for, then?" Mimiru exclaimed. "Let's go wait near the bridge!"

Tsukasa followed Mimiru, smiling, and Haseo walked behind Tsukasa, still hoping to gain information about them about Sora. Haseo waited, his back against the bridge. "So…how do you guys know Sora, anyway?" he asked them suddenly.

"You're really into talking about Sora, aren't you?" Mimiru sputtered with disgust.

"I barely even know him," Haseo answered truthfully.

"Well, be glad that you don't; from what I can tell, he's an immature player who likes taking advantage of others for his own uses. One day, he's gonna get it. Oh, he'll get it all right. Just wait and see if I'm right!"

_But I think it's already happened_, Haseo thought to himself.

"I mean, just look at what he did to you, Haseo! He destroyed you there right on the spot, after you said you didn't want to fight him! How immature is that?"

"It's definitely immature of him," Haseo agreed. "But I also agree with Tsukasa--he might just be lacking contact in the real world, and doesn't know how to make friends here."

"You can't force someone to be your friend; they have to _earn _that privilege!" Mimiru continued to exclaim. "Even if he doesn't know about friendship, he could at least learn to have better manners! I mean, talk about finesse--"

"Mimiru, do you know anything about Sora besides on what he does?" Tsukasa asked her suddenly. "Anything at all?"

Mimiru stopped short. "Well, no, but I--"

"Like I said, I'm sure he has his reasons," Tsukasa replied quietly. "We don't really know him as well as we'd like…Mimiru, he may actually be a good kind of person, but if you don't give him a chance, what will he have to ever prove it to you?"

Mimiru sighed, and she gazed down into the river. "Yeah…" she admitted after several minutes had passed. "I guess you're right. I don't know him that well. Just the way he acts, that's all."

"And he could be a good actor, too," Haseo added in.

"Oh, I _hate _your kind of logic," Mimiru sputtered, causing Tsukasa to laugh.

"Well, if you can't say something nice about someone, don't say anything at all," Tsukasa quoted. Haseo nodded as he remembered, _That's what my mother used to tell me._

"Excuse me…? Haseo?" Haseo instantly turned around to see Tenshi standing right behind him. "Sorry I was late today; Orino took me to the library in town today. I just couldn't bear to leave," she explained, chuckling.

"It's okay," Haseo responded.

"Oh, you met friends already?" Tenshi asked as she saw Tsukasa and Mimiru.

"Hi, you must be Tenshi," Mimiru greeted her with a handshake. "I'm Mimiru; nice to meet you!"

"It's nice to meet you, too," Tenshi replied, smiling. She then turned to silver-haired Wavemaster. "Oh, hello Tsukasa! I didn't know you were with Haseo!"

"We kind of bumped into one another…literally," Tsukasa explained with a grin.

Tenshi giggled again, then turned back to Haseo. "So, is Sora with you?"

Haseo glanced down at the river again. "Can I…talk to you somewhere? Privately?"

"Oh…of course, Haseo," Tenshi replied quietly, noting the seriousness of Haseo's tone. "We'll be right back in a moment, guys," she told the two players beside him.

"Oh, okay. We'll be waiting for you when you get back," Mimiru answered. Tsukasa answered with a nod.

Haseo took Tenshi around near the alley where he had just come from, hoping no one would see or hear them. "Is there something you want to tell me about, Haseo?"

"Several things, actually."

"Oh? Already?"

"Yes…" Haseo inhaled deeply. "First of all, I've had this dream last night…only I don't think it was just a dream; it was a memory." He paused for a moment, only to be responded by a glance from her that seemed to say 'Go on.' "It was a dream…back when I was in the third grade, and I was going home to bring my mother a flower that I picked myself, when this three-boy gang confronted me, restrained me, and destroyed my flower before my eyes, right there on the spot. With me so far?"

"Yeah."

"Then they told me it was because I needed it, that everyone was alone in the world we lived in, and called it cruel. I didn't understand what they meant by that then, and looking back, I don't think I still know. I remember in the dream I asked my mother about it, and she told me that people did those kinds of things to people so that they wouldn't have to suffer alone, and that those boys acted like that because of that, or because they wanted attention badly."

"And?"

"That's it, really. It was so real…I know it's a memory of my past, but it seemed so faint before I met you and played this version of The World. That night…that night, it seemed so real, so vivid. Like I was experiencing it again! Is that supposed to happen?"

Tenshi cocked her head to one side. "Yes…yes, I think that's what's supposed to happen. From what I've been told, Haseo, this specific program, this version of The World, was to help coma victims…not all of them lost their memory of course, but some have. I'm not sure whether or not this is true, but according to my father, some people who played this type of The World were people who have never played The World at all, but people who have lost their memories…amnesia, and whatever else you can think of."

"Huh! You've never told me that, before," Haseo murmered.

Tenshi shrugged. "It's not something we do a lot, actually. And we're kept a secret, too. We're just there to help people whenever we can, whether it be in the real world, or in The World." She smiled again. "Is there something else you wanted to talk to me about."

"Yeah, it's about Sora, actually."

"What about him?"

"Well, I've been trying to do what you told me…you know, to interact with him and such. Well, today I sent him a flash mail to meet me up in **Δ **Bursting Passed Over Aquafield, and when I got there, we…I guess we disagreed on what we wanted to do, and then Sora said something about 'testing me,' and then he PKed me, and I'm not sure whether or not it was by accident."

"Hmm…Sora is a very interesting player at times, I can tell you that much. And I can see you're trying to find some way to--"

"HEY! What are YOU doing over here?!"

"That's Mimiru," Haseo muttered. "Something's going on…I'll go on ahead see what's up. You stay here, Tenshi."

"All right, then."

Haseo darted back to where he had left Tsukasa and Mimiru, and found another player with them. Haseo couldn't help but call out to him in disgust when he reached far enough. "Sora!"

The Twin Blade turned to see Haseo, then leaped impressively in front of him, with Mimiru and Tsukasa gathering around Haseo. "I have a favor to ask you," Sora said, suddenly sounding very serious.

"A favor?" Haseo muttered. "After what you did to me in that Delta area, you expect me help _you_ with a favor?"

"That's all in the past; besides that, you weren't paying attention to my movements. You let your guard down," Sora responded, in the same tone. "But never mind that; I need a favor from you, and it's very important." He then glanced at Tsukasa and Mimiru. "You're both a part of this, too."

"Why us?!" Mimiru answered, only to be stopped by a look from Tsukasa.

"We'd be happy to help out," Tsukasa replied, keeping a sharp gaze on Mimiru.

"That's good thinking, Tsukasa-kun," Sora said, with a small smile. "The thing is, there's a new Event coming up--"

"Event?" Haseo replied. "I didn't hear about any Events."

"--And it requires a four-man party in order to enter," Sora continued, ignoring Haseo. "So, naturally I thought of you guys."

"Maybe it's just because we were the only ones standing around," Mimiru grumbled.

Sora shrugged. "It could be that, but I wanted Haseo to come for sure," he gave Haseo a certain glance that spoke of interest, and it suddenly hit Haseo; Sora was interested in him! "You could think of this as a way to make up for falling to my attack. And this Event covers a whole variety of challenges, and you can't re-enter it if you logout. So, are you in?"

Haseo considered the offer. Sora _did _make this seem like this would make up for his defeat at **Δ **Bursting Passed Over Aquafield to him, but he wasn't sure if he could entirely trust Sora in this case, even if it was a good chance for interaction. "Why do you want to enter this event?" he asked him.

"There's an item I want to get…it's for something special," Sora replied simply.

"And what's that special 'something?'" Tsukasa asked kindly.

Sora smiled and shook his head. "Can't tell; it's a surprise. All I'm going to say is that I plan on giving it away soon, when I get it."

"Well, I'll go with you, Sora," Tsukasa said, verbally handing in his party application. A look from Sora to Tsukasa expressed his thanks; Haseo could tell that Sora liked Tsukasa, possibly in the same way he thought Sora liked him.

Mimiru gave a sigh of defeat. "Well…if Tsukasa's going, I guess I better go, too. Bear will probably be busy, anyways."

"What about you, Haseo?" Sora asked.

Haseo chanced a glance at the Twin Blade, and could see that, somewhere on his face, was some sort of hope…hope that would be crushed if he rejected the proposal. He then remembered what the woman, An Shouji, told him that yesterday at work: _Your eyes…they seem familiar, somehow_. Haseo's eyes looked into Sora's eyes…yes, they _did _seem similar to his own, in a way. Not very different at all…

"All right, Sora. I'll go with you."

The Twin Blade performed a small back flip, obviously very excited. Tsukasa couldn't help laughing, and even Mimiru cracked a grin. "Thank you, guys!" he sang cheerfully. "I really appreciate this! I'll give you a flash mail when everything's ready!" With that, he leaped off to another part of Mac Anu, and was lost from view by the others.

"Was it me, or did Sora kinda act a little different?" Mimiru asked. "I mean…it actually seemed like he was desperate, and that this really means something to him. Then he seemed so happy when we said we'd go with him…"

Tsukasa chuckled. "You know, this might not be so bad. Right, Haseo?"

Haseo continued looking off in the direction Sora had left. "Right…not so bad at all…"

Several minutes later, Haseo came back to Tenshi. "So, what happened?" She asked him.

"I just got myself stuck in an Event with Sora. It seems like he really wants this."

"That's good; you're taking this as a chance to interact with him better, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

"I should probably tell you that your connection in The World is probably strongest here with Sora. I think that the more you interact with Sora, the more that will affect you as you dream, as time goes on."

"Do you think anything could go wrong with this, Tenshi?"

Tenshi bit her lip. "At first glance, no…but, in these cases, we handle these things delicately. I can safely say, there's always a risk factor."

"What's the risk?"

"I don't know…I asked my father once, but he never did answer to my question. It could be that bad."

"…Oh…" Haseo's eyes dimmed again into thoughtfulness. _What could happen that could be so bad?_ he wondered to himself.

"Haseo…be careful, all right? I know this is a project and all, but I can't bear on seeing anyone get hurt because of this. You understand?"

"Yes."

Tenshi was quiet for a few minutes before replying, "Well, Haseo, it's getting late. We should both get to sleep soon. I hope you get what you want, and that Sora will be able to help you." With that, Tenshi logged out, leaving Haseo alone once more.

"Yes…Sora will help me," Haseo said aloud. "We'll help each other now." With that, he also logged out for the night.

* * *

A/N: Wow...I worked my butt off this time on this chapter. XP

I think this might be my favorite chapter yet; it was certainly the longest! Anyways, thank you guys SO much for your awesome reviews! Really, I get so excited whenever I read a review saying that they like it, and it makes me even more inspired. This is far from the perfect .hack fanfic, I know, but it's not the worst either, and I can honestly tell you that I am doing the very best I can with each chapter. Speaking of which, has anyone else besides me notices that each chapter/page is longer than the last? Ha ha...that's kinda weird.

Anyways, if anyone does get confused, please take note that this prototype of the first version of The World does not include the timeline...so, you could say that anything could happen and anyone from the Games or SIGN could meet up with one another as if they all met before and such. As Ryou goes on, though...he'll figure it out, through his dreams. This chapter was actually enjoyable to write, and I love writing this fanfic...so, thank you very much again! Comments, questions, criticisms are welcome, as long as they're not too harsh! :D


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